Preface
Have you ever thought that a grass man could ascend to the sky in one step, walk to the pinnacle of life, and become a powerful minister in the court? Will a high-ranking minister fall into each other's intrigue and intrigue for that illusory power, and finally fall into the whirlpool of power and be ruined?
This is exactly the case in the Kangxi Dynasty, where the big drama of power struggle is staged in this royal family, and the protagonists are Suo Etu and Mingzhu, two political enemies of equal proportions. However, just after the fall of Mingzhu, Suo Etu was imprisoned and eventually starved to death.
And Emperor Kangxi once said: "He is here, my sons will definitely die", this sentence undoubtedly hit people's hearts with a hammer. Why did Kangxi say this? Let's break it down today.
Suo Etu is on the rise
Kangxi ascended the throne at the age of eight, young and ignorant, and the imperial power was not yet stable. The power of the court was in the hands of the auxiliary ministers, who were supposed to assist the young emperor in training important ministers. Ke Aobai was ambitious, galloping wildly, not only monopolizing power, but also installing hundreds of Chinese military officials in the DPRK as his cronies in an attempt to control the dynasty.
For a time, the government and the opposition were all supported by his cronies, and Kangxi's imperial power was in jeopardy, and he could be pulled off the throne by Ao Bai at any time. At the moment of crisis, Suo Etu stepped forward and worked wittily to solve the political crisis caused by Ao Bai for Kangxi.
He first quietly cultivated a group of young and strong warriors in the name of martial arts, waiting for an opportunity. When Aobai's autocratic power was too strong, when the last dynasty was in power, Suo Etu led this group of warriors to launch a sudden attack, taking down Aobai and his henchmen in one fell swoop, and regaining power for Kangxi.
The merit is high and the lord is high, and Suo Etu himself is already a relative of the Empress Hesheri clan, and Kangxi trusts him 100%. In just a few years, he rose from the guard of the inner court to the important positions such as the scholar of the Baohe Palace, the prince and the prince, and became the first and auxiliary minister with the highest real power in the court, and was nicknamed "Suo Xiang". Kangxi has to listen to his advice no matter how big or small it is, and the relationship between the two can be described as quite close.
Suo's figure is greedy and inflated
However, power often makes people empty, and this is exactly what Soetu does. The more power he has, the more vigorous the fire of greed in his heart, and gradually he begins to be unable to get rid of the boundless greed. In order to consolidate his position in the DPRK and China, he recruited party henchmen everywhere, cultivated disciples, and did not hesitate to engage in intrigue and form parties for personal gain.
Such a move has undoubtedly annoyed many people in the DPRK and China and aroused a wave of accusations and criticism. For example, Gao Shiqi, a down-and-out scholar, although he was well-versed in ancient and modern times, studied both Chinese and Western, and was recommended to join Suo Etu's disciple, he was miserably insulted, and he had to kneel and salute every time he reported his work.
Wei Xiangshu, the imperial historian of the left capital, even impeached him for "seeking to be greedy for power" and accused him of abusing his power. But it's a pity that these criticisms and impeachments are all mud cows into the sea, and there is no news, and they can't shake Suo Etu's status in Kangxi's heart at all.
During the rebellion of the three feudatories, Kangxi proposed to solve the problem by withdrawing the feudal domains, but Suo Etu fiercely opposed it, advocating the indiscriminate killing of Mingzhu and Li Guangdi, and the sacrifice of their heads to Wu Sangui.
This absurd proposition undoubtedly angered Kangxi, and his attitude towards Suo Etu began to take a turn for the better, and he had an indelible mustard and prejudice against this minister who leaned towards the government and the opposition and called for wind and rain.
Since then, Suo Etu and Mingzhu have formed a bond that does not share the sky, and they have won over each other's henchmen in the DPRK and China, forming two camps, the "Suo Party" and the "Ming Party".
It wasn't until Mingzhu was deposed for corruption and bribery, and Suo Etu was in power, that Kangxi removed him from power along with the rest of the party. However, Suo Etu was insatiable and insatiable, so Kangxi had to use him again to control the turbulent situation in the DPRK.
Suo Etu embraced Yinren
In 1675, Kangxi canonized Yinren, who had just turned one year old, as the crown prince, and the object of the reward was not only Yinren himself, but also the credit of Empress Hesheri, and it was also to commend Sony, Kabula, Suo Etu and others for their outstanding contributions during the auxiliary government. Since then, Kangxi has pinned all his hopes on Yinren, pouring his money day and night, and cultivating him with all his heart and energy, hoping that he can become a real Ming monarch and sage.
Kangxi invited a group of the most famous scholars at that time, such as Zhang Ying and Li Guangdi, to serve as teachers for Yinren, and personally presided over Yinren's studies, expecting him to learn and be rich in five cars and rich in the ability to help the people. At the same time, he also paid great attention to Yinren's physical fitness, and the golden knife was not related to his body, so he invited the monk to practice martial arts, so that he was skilled in riding and shooting, and invulnerable. Sincerity can be said to be the heart of Jackie Chan, meticulous.
However, Suo Etu has other intentions. In order to cultivate Yinren's power in the court, he strongly supported Yinren and spared no effort to expand Yinren's sphere of influence. He formulated a series of ceremonial specifications for Yinren, which were equal to or even close to the emperor, allowing Yinren to show the authority of the crown prince on various important occasions.
On major festivals, Yinren accepted the congratulations of hundreds of officials in the main hall, and performed two kneeling and six bows, which was no different from the etiquette performed by the emperor. This practice undoubtedly aroused Kangxi's dissatisfaction and precautionary mentality.
What's worse is that Suo Etu also took the initiative to instigate Yinren to indulge in his selfish desires and indulge in the pleasures of dogs and horses. Yinren is not only extravagant and wasteful, extravagant and profligate, but also asks for and accepts bribes everywhere, and is insatiable. Relying on his noble background and privileged status, he not only called for wind and rain among the princes, bullied the elders and children, but also looked down on the brothers around him.
As for the ministers of the DPRK and China, they are even more empty-eyed and arrogant and unreasonable, which has aroused the resentment and gossip of countless courtiers. Especially with the thirteenth elder brother Yinxiang, it is even more incompatible, you live and die.
All this made Kangxi worried. He originally hoped that Yinren could become a generation of Mingjun, but he saw that he was becoming more and more dissolute and unruly, acting presumptuously, contrary to his expectations, and he was simply a complete wine bag and rice bag. This had to make Kangxi question and suspect Suo Etu, thinking that it was his behind-the-scenes manipulation and instigation that would make Yinren so corrupt.
Suo Etu was banned by Kangxi
In 1702, when Kangxi was touring the south, Yinren suddenly fell seriously ill, although Kangxi complained about what his son did, he still urgently summoned Suo Etu to take care of him. The two got along day and night from then on, and Suo Etu stretched out his footsteps to places where they shouldn't be.
Every time he rode into Yinren's residence, he not only violated the rules, but also openly defied the emperor's authority. Moreover, Kangxi learned that Suo Etu was still secretly approving it, and wanted Yinren to succeed to the throne in advance and seize the throne.
This is undoubtedly a blatant provocation to Kangxi's authority, and it is also a manifestation of wanting to rebel. Kangxi was furious and reprimanded Suo Etu for "forming a party and acting recklessly, and complaining behind his back", pointing out that he had bad intentions and intended to rebel. In May 1703, Kangxi finally couldn't hold it anymore and ordered Suo Etu to be captured and imprisoned in Zongren's Mansion. In September, Suoetu starved to death in prison, ending his life.
Kangxi originally wanted to use Suo Etu's death to give Yinren a wake-up call. However, Yinren was helpless against him, not only did he not hesitate, but he had a strong revenge against Kangxi. When Kangxi fell ill in Rehe, Yinren, who went to visit, was full of joy rather than a trace of sadness.
During the autumn period of the Qing court, Kangxi's beloved eighteen son, Yinren, was seriously ill, and Yinren also turned a blind eye to it, without the slightest sympathy. What's even more exaggerated is that when Kangxi was encircling the enclosure, Yinren actually wandered around the mantle city where Kangxi lived every night, with bad intentions and an attempt to disadvantage the emperor.
All this made Kangxi extremely angry, and he was almost carried away by anger. He blamed all the blame on Suo Etu, believing that it was Suo Etu who corrupted Yinren back then, which made Yinren behave so perversely today and didn't know how to obey. Kangxi denounced "Suo Etucheng is the number one sinner in this dynasty", if he does not die, his sons will also suffer misfortune because of party disputes.
As a result, Kangxi took several actions, first canonizing the six princes as county kings and Baylor in one go in 1708, and let them divide power and govern, thus directly weakening Yinren's military and political power.
Later, Yinren was directly deposed, imprisoned for life, and never returned. At the same time, Soetu's sons Gelfin and Algishan were executed successively, and all of Soetu's descendants were dismissed, and the entire Hesheri family withered and drifted apart, and finally the family was ruined.
epilogue
Power is like a double-edged sword, full of temptation when held in the hand, but once you are seduced by it, you will fall into the abyss of losing control. Suo Etu was originally a grass citizen, and with his extraordinary wisdom and opportunity, he helped Kangxi regain imperial power and became the first auxiliary minister of the court.
It's a pity that he was greedy, didn't know moderation, was carried away by power, and did not hesitate to go against the emperor's will, privately wooed his henchmen, cultivated the power of the crown prince Yinren, and finally embarked on the road of no return to the dead clan.
Although Mingzhu also soared all the way and finally climbed to the pinnacle of power, he was deposed and discredited because of corruption and bribery and greed for money. These former political enemies were eventually buried in the vast sea of power, and became the victims of Kangxi's eradication of the party struggle between the DPRK and China and the maintenance of the unity of the country. After all, once party strife is allowed to intensify and the government and the opposition are trapped, society will fall into the abyss of turmoil.
With his iron-fisted means, Kangxi swept away the flies and tigers in the court, calmed the smoke of party disputes with the power of thunder, and defended the unity of the peaceful and prosperous era of the Qing Dynasty. All this is undoubtedly a helpless move made for the long-term peace and stability of the Qing Dynasty and the realization of the long-term prosperity of the country.